I asked good friend and author Carla Stewart to drop by and discuss her favorite character in her new release, STARDUST. Carla’s writing reflects her passion for times gone by. A child of the fifties and sixties, she recalls it as a glorious time when the summers were lazy, colors were brighter, and music filled her heart. Carla’s desire is to take readers back to the times when they knew they were loved, to that warm, familiar place in the heart called “home.” This gifted writer does an excellent job creating characters that leap from the page to dance upon the stage of your mind long after you close the book.

Tell us why you picked Ludi Harper and what you did to layer this character for the reader, Carla.

The Unflappable Carla Stewart

Thanks, Lynne, for having me here on Stage Write. So blessed.

They’re ALL my favorites, but if I had to pick one, it would be the unassuming Ludi Harper, a resident of the isolated, impoverished community of Zion. She was the maid at the Stardust before Georgia Payton inherited the rundown cottages. One day she appears, her girth wide enough to nearly fill a doorway, and asks what she can do to help. She offers her earthy wisdom, a strong back, and her bosom to cry in.

Here’s how Georgia first sees Ludi:

She lumbered after me into the office, her hands worrying the apron she wore, an apronthat carried the remnants of a half dozen spatters of what looked like tomatoes, maybe a bit of gravy. Her hair, though, was pulled into a neat bun at the back of her head, and she smelled of wood smoke and earth and something faint, but sweet. Her feet were stuffed into men’s black leather shoes, the laces missing which allowed her beefy flesh room to breathe at the tops.

When Ludi plants her hands on her hips, she commands attention, but when she’s fretting, she worries her apron with work worn hands. Ludi’s speech is that of the abject poverty and culture of Zion, and when she was on the scene, I only had to close my eyes and let her direct the words onto the page.

Each day, Georgia listens for “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” as Ludi’s voice, like warm honey, wafts across the meadow signaling her arrival. She’s the constant that Georgia needs. The voice of reason. The sweet whisper of God.

I loved Ludi too. In fact, I enjoyed almost all characters from Stardust. They’re so real, even if you don’t like what some of them did, you can understand them. It’s a beautiful story, I recommend it.